Vampires
Physiology Vampire State vs. Human State A vampire in its human state looks identical to any normal human. Their bodies have the least amount of change between states out of all the supernaturals. At most, they sometimes appear slightly paler than their original skintone, but this is not always the case. A vampire can blend into a human crowd effortlessly if it so chooses. A vampire will smell the same as a human to those with enhanced smelling. Even werewolves have difficulty to detect a vampire among humans by smell alone. The exception is a vampire who has not fed in a long time. They will slowly begin to smell slightly of decay until they feed again. The vampire state shows a few small but important changes. The vampire’s sharp upper and lower canines (“fangs”) extend dramatically. The incisors also sharpen like blades, but the change is not visible to the naked eye as they do not extend or form a point. The eyes of the vampire turn a shade of crimson. The change of the eye can be gradual as the vampire’s hunger grows, sometimes creating an interesting purple shade in a vampire with blue eyes. It is not possible to extend the fangs without the eyes changing, but the eyes can change without the fangs extending. The presence of silver in the vicinity or making actual contact with the vampire will force the vampire state. See more in Weaknesses. In the vampire state, the vampire's supernatural abilities are increased slightly from the human state, but they are always enhanced. Supernatural Abilities A vampire’s most notable supernatural abilities are super speed, enhanced hearing, and enhanced sense of smell. There is also super strength, super stamina, and super enhanced vision and sense of taste. The degree of enhancement varies by individuals and may depend on the physical makeup of the vampire when it was human. Exercise, or lack thereof, can affect a vampire's muscle mass and increase strength, stamina, and speed. Weaknesses Day & Sunlight A vampire’s supernatural abilities grow weaker during the day, to the point that it becomes difficult or even impossible to enter the vampire state. They are naturally nocturnal and it’s mentally and physically exhausting to overcome the desire to sleep during the day, however with practice a vampire could, theoretically, become diurnal. Because most of them avoid the daytime and sleep during it, the myth has arisen that the sunlight will kill them. This is both true and untrue. A vampire is naturally damaged by direct sunlight. The skin burns (like a sunburn), then blisters, and then burns away completely as it caught on fire. This continues to the lower layers until all that is left is ashes. However, as a vampire ages, they quickly become more tolerant of the sunlight. Short periods of exposure over time will build up this tolerance. It is possible a several-hundred-year-turned vampire could last only minutes in the sun, while a thirty-year-turned one could last hours based purely on exposure training. Sun training is considered beneath many vampires and they will often pretend they have never done so, but in truth it is necessary for most to survive in the long term and blend in with human society when necessary. Silver Vampires are vulnerable to silver. It will burn the skin on contact. The vampire state will be forced if silver contacts their skin or if enough silver is in the vampire's vicinity. Magic can be used to shield the presence of a piece of silver, but contact from that piece would still cause harm and force the vampire state. Enough silver in the vicinity will cause the vampire to weaken physically and diminish the supernatural abilities it possesses, including accelerated healing. Wounds caused by silver heal more slowly and scar. They do heal faster than they might on a werewolf, however, and scar less severely, assuming the vampire is well-fed and its healing abilities are at their peak. Garlic Vampires are intolerant of garlic. It doesn’t cause them harm directly, but the smell is repulsive. If they feed off a human who has consumed some recently or has it as a steady and large part of their diet, it can weaken them temporarily and induce vomiting. Fire Fire is dangerous to vampires. They can burn and can be consumed by it. However, fire wounds heal without scars, unlike silver wounds. There are only a few known ways to kill a vampire: * Decapitation ** All other removals of body parts will grow back. There is legend of a vampire being cut in half and regrowing his entire bottom half. This has never been proven. * Fire * Silver in the heart or removal of the heart * A serious enough silver wound will sometimes do the trick * Draining of the blood Government & Law Political Heirarchy A country, group of countries (if they are small), or portion of the country (if it is large) is ruled by a King or Queen. The various monarchs will often work together to create international law, but generally each kingdom has its own set of laws. The monarchs all tend to use the same system of titles: Their country is broken down into dukedoms (governed by a Duke or Duchess). Those are broken down into marquisates (governed by a Marquis or Marchioness). Then those are broken into earldoms (governed by a Comte or Comtess). The Comtes further appoint Barons (or Baronesses) to help govern individual counties or multiple counties each. The Barons settle most disputes, but most serious offenses are settled by the Comtes or escalated higher as need may be. Each governor can make laws within his area of government, so long as it does not contradict law at the higher level. Titles & Forms of Address Category:Species Category:Supernatural Category:Vampires